What was the UK's Number 1 song when Queen Elizabeth II's coronation took place?

The coronation of Britain's longest-reigning monarch took place as the longest-running Number 1 single in UK chart history was at the top of the Official Chart.

As King Charles III prepares to be crowned - the first coronation of a new British monarch for the first time in most people's lives - we look back to the coronation of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, which took place in the infant years of the UK's Official Chart, nearly 70 years ago.

Because, believe it or not, the Official Singles Chart started its life in November 14, 1952 (also, coincidentally, the fourth birthday of King Charles III himself!), with the first-ever Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart being Al Martino's Here In My Heart.

Which meant that by the time the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II rolled around on 2nd June 1953, the Official Chart was barely over six months old.

But in turns out that just as the longest-reigning monarch in British history was being crowned, the longest-running Number 1 single in UK chart history was also sitting comfortably at the top of the Official Singles Chart.

What was it? Well, see below...

What was the UK's Number 1 single during Queen Elizabeth II's coronation?

When Queen Elizabeth II's coronation took place on 2nd June 1953, the British public witnessed the crowning of the figure who would go on to be our longest-reigning monarch of all time.

In a lovely bit of serendipity, this also coincided with the reign of the UK's longest-ever running Number 1 single.

Taking Number 1 on the chart week of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation - which ran from May 29 - June 4 1953 - was Frankie Laine's I Believe.

The song was in the midst of a massive 18 week non-consecutive stretch at the top of the Official Singles Chart - originally scoring Number 1 for nine consecutive weeks, before being pushed and re-ascending for a further six, and then coming back for an additional three.

The 18 total weeks - meaning the song was Number 1 in total for over four months - is the longest time a single song has taken the top of the Official Singles Chart, but of course Laine did so non-consecutively.

The longest running unbroken stint at Number 1 goes to Bryan Adams, who claimed Number 1 for an astounding 16 weeks in 1991 with Everything I Do (I Do It For You), taken from blockbuster film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves with Kevin Costner and Alan Rickman.